By Brendan Rees
No new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Casey City overnight which remained at 55, according to the state’s latest health data on Tuesday 5 May.
Across the state, no new deaths were reported in the 24 hours to 5 May. To date, 18 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in Victoria stands at 1423 which is made up of 748 men and 675 women, with people aged from babies to their early nineties.
Currently 12 people are in hospital, including six patients in intensive care. 1311 people have recovered.
In other parts of the southeast, cases in Greater Dandenong’s local government area had a total of 15 cases and Cardinia 16.
Almost 152,000 tests have been completed up until Sunday 3 May with many more samples still being processed following high testing blitz numbers over the weekend.
The new confirmed cases include eleven new cases of Covid-19 at a Melbourne meat processing facility, taking the total number of cases in this cluster to 45.
The other six additional cases include one returned traveller in hotel quarantine, four others identified through the testing blitz and one still being investigated.
“Today’s increase in cases illustrates once again that while we have been flattening the curve, our battle against Covid-19 is far from over,” said Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton.
“Up to 100,000 Victorians will be tested for coronavirus during these two weeks as part of a major testing blitz across the state,” Professor Sutton said.
“People with common symptoms of coronavirus including fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose or loss of sense of smell – however mild – are encouraged to get tested.”
Meanwhile, Victoria Police officers reported fining 26 people flouting social distancing rules in the 24 hours to Tuesday 5 May.
Examples of breaches included a man discovered by police in a Box Hill residence with an escort he had sourced online; multiple parties who did not live together driving around in the same vehicle, despite already receiving previous warnings for similar behaviour; and multiple people committing criminal offences, including possessing stolen goods and drugs and weapons offences.
In the past 24 hours, Victoria Police conducted 888 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state as part of Operation Sentinel.
